Angel
by L. Byron
Summary: Arya dies but is sent back to watch over certain people
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes.

This is a slightly AU universe in the sense that I have changed a few things in Arya's story. She was never a part of the Faceless men

Arya could not believe her bad luck as she lay dying for her own recklessness.

"Don't go" both Gendry and Bram had warned her "It's dark and the storm is very strong…we should return to Winterfell and continue in the morning"

But she hadn't listened to their reasons; she never did as her impulsive nature always guided her

"I know these lands like the palm of my hand" were her last words to them as she rode ahead, not looking back.

"This is my best chance to put an end to this matter" was the only thing on her mind.

Four years ago she had returned to Westeros with the rightful queen and her dragons. The others had been completely defeated and the surviving Starks, Arya, Brandon, and Rickon had returned to Wintefell as lords of the north.

All the people on her list were either dead or have been brought to the queen's justice. All save for one, and now, after many years of silence, she had heard news of Sandor Clegane. Apparently he was heading north, to the wall

She wanted to make him pay for the death Mycah and possible Sansa. There were other suspects in her sister's death in Eyre, but they were all dead and there were no direct eye witnesses to those events.

Now, as she lay dying after an accidental fall where she hit her head badly with a rock, she cursed her bad luck. She had survived through very dangerous situations but it was a "freak" accident what was going to claim her life.

Darkness began to envelope her and she closed her eyes

"This is the end" she thought, but then something strange happened.

The pain and cold disappeared suddenly, and she no longer felt the ice and snow on her body.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and what she saw left her speechless for a moment as she found herself on a beautiful landscape.

She stood up and looked around; she was on a green field surrounded by majestic mountains. The colours in the trees, the flowers, and the sky were more "vivid", and a sense of "peace" filled the air.

"Hello Arya"

She stood still as she heard the voice on her back, but she knew it couldn't be real.

When she turned her eyes widened

They were all there. Father, Mother, Sansa and robb; gone all signs of pain or worries on their faces

Before she could move or react, her mother came closer and took her in her arms in a loving embrace.

Arya felt as tears ran down her face but her mother just hugged her tightly as she began to cry.

"My baby" she said as she wiped out the tears from her face.

After all of them came and embraced her, Arya asked

"Is this heaven?"

"No" Sansa answered "This is just the crossing point between the land of the living and the afterlife.

Her father put an affectionate hand on her shoulders and said. "Arya, there is nothing I wish more than to be reunited with all my family…but there is something that must be done before you can come with us"

After a few moments, Arya asked.

"Unfinished business?" she looked at each of them and waited for an explanation.

"You are to watch over some people, guide them, and in the process you will learn a few things" her father explained.

Arya knew they were going to tell her something she was not going to like, but they exchanged looks.

"Arya, the people you have been assigned are Jon, Gendry, Tyrion and….Sandor Clegane" Sansa said.

"What?" Arya asked in disbelief. She looked at each of them as if this was some sort of a joke, but their faces remained the same

"How could I watch over him….Jon and Gendrey I would understand, even Tyrion…but"

She stared at Sansa and added

"That murderer…He killed you"

Sansa smiled sadly at her.

"Arya, Sandor didn't kill me. When I was at the court He and Tyrion were the only people who showed kindness to me. He saved me many times; even from being raped by a mob…He offered to take me away from court and I should have gone with him…When I died, he tried to save me but it was too late when he arrived at the Eyrie"

Arya didn't seem convinced. She had hated him for so long

"What of Mycah? He was an innocent boy?"

They all exchanged look.

Her mother approached her and said

"This is why you must go Arya…This mission is not only for them but also for you"

She took her face in her hands and gave her a kiss

"Know that we will be waiting for you" she said lovingly at her daughter

Arya was about to reply, but then a bright light enveloped her


	2. Memories

When the light faded, Arya opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself in the middle of the main hall of Winterfell's castle.

The first thing she noticed was the numerous groups of Northern nobles and their families. They talked in hushed voices.

She saw Osha walking towards her, as if she wasn't there, then Arya was shocked as the wildling woman passed right through her. Her new "situation was finally dawning on her.

"They are talking about me" she thought as she heard their conversations, then she was shocked to see a coffin, her coffin.

"How could this be?" she wondered. After she died, she only spent a few minutes in the afterlife, but it appeared that in the world of the lving days had passed.

She saw her younger brothers sitting on both sides of the coffin. Both of them seemed calm but their eyes told a different story.

She felt terrible for both of them as she knew her death was her own fault.

"I am so sorry" she said as she knelt in front of Bran and tried to touch his face, but her hand just passed through him.

A few minutes later the two brothers, with the help of the northern lords, carried it to its final resting place in the stark's crypt. She would be buried very close to Sansa's tomb.

Arya was overwhelmed by emotion, but then wondered where Gendry was. She didn't see him in the hall, nor was he here at the tombs.

She discovered her first ability when she wished to see him and suddenly found herself in a different place.

She looked around and recognized the place immediately as Winterfell's forge. She heard the sound of the hammer hitting metal and then saw Gendry working.

For as moment she felt disappointed to see him working and not in her burial, as if he didn't care, but then she saw something strange in his face and the way he was hitting the metal.

At first he seemed calm, but then she came closer and saw the trail of tears in his face. She also noticed that he wasn't exactly working, he was just hitting a piece of metal with all his strength. He saw as he increased the speed of his strokes and his face changed from calm to a mixture of rage and pain.

Now she understood, this was his way of dealing with the pain of her death.

A one moment he let go of the hammer and fell to the floor, he put his face in his hands and began to shake as he sobbed.

She felt guilty as she knew she sort of deserted him again, just like seven years ago when she escaped the Brotherhood without banners.

After she returned to Westeros one of the first things she did was go find him and hot pie and she had promised that their pack would not break again.

"This sucks" she exclaimed as she knelt in front of him and tried to caress his face but with no avail.

For a moment her mind was totally focused on Gendry as she wanted to comfort him

"Please don't cry"

She was surprised when Gendry raised his face from his hand with a look of disbelief

"A..arya?" he said after a few seconds

"I can communicate with them" Arya realized and wondered if the same principle applied if she wanted to be seen.

Gendry backed away as she appeared out of thin air. She had never seen him that scared.

He moved until his back hit a wall and stayed there, looking at her with wide eyes.

Arya rose and then moved slowly towards him,

"Don't be afraid, Gendry, it's just me"

It took her a while, but she managed to calm him down. After she explained to him the situation, she wanted to apologize

"I am so sorry I caused you this pain" she said. He looked at her

"You should have waited…the hound couldn't have gone too far on that weather"

"The hound" she thought, she had completely forgotten him until Gendry mentioned his name. Anger began to rise inside her. It was because of him that she left the brotherhood and Gendry as she felt disappointed when they failed to punish him for Mycah's dead.

She remembered that the brotherhood had captured him and put him on trial for various atrocities committed by Lannister soldiers, but when no crime could be attributed to him personally, she testified to his killing of Mycah the butcher's boy.

Strangely he didn't deny or accept her charges; He just chose trial by combat, facing the Brotherhood's leader Lord Beric Dondarrion. Beric fought with a magic flaming blade, but to Arya's disappointment, Sandor managed to defeat him.

Now, he was in part the cause of her death.

Then an idea hit her. Perhaps that was part of her unfinished business, to bring him to justice.

"Gendry, I can find out where he is…tell my brothers that I will return soon and prepare the men"

Before he could say anything, she was gone.

"How am I going to tell them?" he wondered "They will think I am crazy"

Arya found herself inside a cave and it wasn't long until he saw him sleeping"

"Smart" she thought "travelling by night, sleeping by day"

She went outside the cave to see if it was located in familiar territory and smiled as she knew it wasn't that far from Winterfell.

She entered the cave again and approached him. He moved in his sleep, as if he was having nightmares, and Arya couldn't help but feel a little pity. The cave was cold and his body shivered.

"I wonder how he got that scar" she thought as she watched his face.

What she thought of him improved a little when Sansa had told her what he did for her.

"Perhaps you were kind to my sister and even saved her" she whispered "But that changes nothing, even if you were just following orders. You were Joffrey's dog and Mycah deserves justice"

She realized that the hound was the "less guilty" of those on her list. He wasn't a monster but justice had to be served.

"I can promise you will get a fair trial" she told the sleeping men "More fair than your justice to Mycah"

She took one last look at him and then disappeared.

"Are you mad?" Bran asked

Gendry had convinced the two brothers than he needed to talk with them in private

"I know how this sound b…"

He was interrupted by Rickon

"Look Gendry…we are grateful that you cared so much for our sister, but th…"

He couldn't continue as her dead sister appeared in front of him

2 hour later.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Bran whispered, not wanting to let his men see he was talking to the wind, as Arya could only be seen by her brothers and Gendry. She had discovered that she could appear only to those that she wished.

She answered silently and then he unsheathed his sword and entered the cave fallowed by his men.

The hound didn't offer any resistance when he woke up and found several swords pointed at him, nor did he do anything when they put chains on his arms.

He uttered not a word when Bran read the charges as he was a fugitive of the crown for having served the Lannister's

They took him to Winterfell to prepare him for the journey to King's landing, where his trial would take place. Crows were sent to inform the authorities of his capture.

After three hours, the group of men that would take him south was ready. Sandor had been put on a cage wagon. Not once did he react to the insults he received as word spread that this was the Lannister's dog, the men that killed the butcher's son.

Arya watched from a balcony as the caravan started the journey

"What now?" she thought. She turned and saw his younger brothers looking at her intently as if they didn't believe she was back.

Two months passed in which Arya discovered most of her abilities. She could feel and let others feel her touch and even grab objects. She had spent all her time in winterfell with her two brothers, almost each day talking about the future and plans for Winterell. They had been really happy when she told them of her short time in the afterlife.

"They were all happy" she told them "Father, Mother, Robb, Sansa"

One night, Arya's thoughts drifted to her half brother and wondered if she should visit him.

"He probably doesn't even know I am dead" she thought but didn't blame him. His duties were on the wall and beyond and what happened south was not of his concern.

She made her decision as she remembered her father's words of those she was supposed to "watch over"

She appeared in a room and saw him immediately. The last time they have been together was seven years ago, when he left for the wall and was still a young boy. She could clearly see how different he was now, and it was obvious to her that Jon had seen and been through a lot more than her or any other person she knew.

For almost two days she followed him, watching his daily activities as lord commander. On the third day she went with him as he visited a few wildlings allies. She has never been north of the wall, and was horrified at how harsh and hostile the land was. She had accidentally discovered that she could read people memories when they slept and was tempted to watch Jon's but decided not to for the moment

They stayed for 5 days with the wildlings and then returned to the wall. As they entered castle black, a ranger approached Jon

"I know him" Arya thought as she saw his face. He was younger than most other rangers. She tried to recall where she might have seen him but couldn't.

"He looks like…no, that's impossible" she thought as she recalled someone from her past, but she knew that it was absurd

"May I have a word" the ranger asked

Jon smiled

"What can I do for you Mycah?"

Arya's eyes widened

"No" she thought "it can't be him…he is dead".

For the rest of the day, she tried to push that thought aside but couldn't. She could appear to him and ask him, but that would probably just freak him out.

Late that night, she waited until the ranger fell asleep and then extended her hand to touch the top of his head

"No…it can't be" she said to herself as his memories filled her mind; the memories of the butcher's son.

The mystery was revealed when she saw him crying on the woods as the hound approached him.

"Do you know why I am here, boy?" he asked with a raspy voice

"Please" the boy begged "I didn't do anything to the prince"

The hound kneeled in front of the boy.

"I am going to be frank with you boy, an attack on the prince by any commoner is a crime punishable by death. The king himself has given his verdict and I was sent to carry it"

The boy trembled

"The prince is a monster" the hound said, surprising the boy.

"There is a way for you to survive this, but you can't never return to your home as you have been declared guilty by the state…And even if someday, by a miracle, they forget about you, once you take the vows there is no going back"

Arya watched as the hound carried the boy north to castle black and delivered him.

"The night watch is not under the jurisdiction of the crown" the hound explained to Mycah. "You will be safe here"

Arya didn't want to watch anymore and removed her hand.

"I hated him all these years for nothing" she thought as guilt filled her


	3. Trial

The queen was frustrated with the trial. Normally the cases she had presided in person had been easy as the amount of evidence was abundant as well as the eyewitnesse and victims of the people judged.

She was just but also merciful as she wanted to easy the animosities after the war, as all sides had committed terrible atrocities.

"Westeros needed a new beginning and rebuilding" was always in her mind.

It had been almost 2 years since the last war trial and Sandor Cleagne wasn't really one of the big players in those events, but he became a symbol as he was the only one of the lannister's men who hadn't been caught and brought to trial.

At first she had taught the trial was going to be easy, but as days passed she began to realize that there was hardly any evidence that the hound really committed war crimes.

All the "witnesses" brought to the court only accused him of things they heard in rumours that had been proven to be wrong. So far, the only thing that he could be accused for was that he was a Joffrey bodyguard and that boy he killed in Winterfell, although he did it obeying direct orders from King Robert

She also found it odd that he almost never spoke, except on a few occasions. It was as if he didn't care.

Arya appeared on court in the moment when the hound was brought. His face showed no emotion at all

The lord in charge to lead the accusations approached him.

"Do you still refuse to talk?"

Sandor didn't even bother to look at him

The lord tried to obtain a declaration but it was useless, He only got a response when he stood directly in front of the chained hound and said

"Why don't you defend yourself? Don't you know we have the power to condemn you or let you go?"

Sandor, who had his head lowered, raised it and laughed bitterly

"Let me go? We both know this is a farce and the verdict was taken before the trial even began"

Another lord rose from his chair and exclaimed in anger

"How dare you? This court has been just in all the trials"

Sandor looked directly at the queen and said

"You all think I'm guilty, so just sentence me to death and be done with it"

After that he spoke no more.

They tried to make him talk but it was useless. He was taken away as he refused to cooperate, Arya wanted to follow him but decided to stay and listen.

It continued as usual as all the people brought could not bring a single evidence against him

"Does anybody here have anything concrete to say?"

The queen had finally lost her patience

"May I have a word, your majesty?"

Everyone turned to see an elderly Monk that walked slowly. The queen told the guards to let him pass, and after he kneeled in front of the throne, he addressed the audience.

"I knew the man you call the hound six years ago when he came to our monastery. He was a bitter tormented soul, a sinner who mocked both gods and men. He served but found no pride in service. He fought but took no joy in victory. He drank, to drown his pain in a sea of wine. He did not love, nor was he loved himself. It was hate that drove him. Where other men dream of love, or wealth or glory, this man Sandor Clegane dreamed of slaying his own brother, a sin so terrible it makes me shudder just to speak of it. Yet it was the bread that nourished him, the fuel that kept his fires burning. Ignoble as it was, the hope of seeing his brother's blood upon his blade was all this sad and angry creature lived for...and even that was taken from him when Prince Oberyn of Dorne stabbed Ser Gregor with a poisoned spear"

He stared at the queen and added.

"The only crimes he can rightly be accused of is hate, hate for his own brother And being at the service of the Lannister's as any other soldier"

Arya couldn't help but wonder what drove him to hate his brother so much.

She found him sleeping when she appeared at the dungeons. Again he seemed to be having nightmares.

She stared down at him with a curious look, determined to look into his memories.

When her hand touched his forehead, all she felt was anger, fear and hate coming from him. She watched the constant beating and abuse he suffered when he was a small boy, and was horrified when his brother shoved his face into a brazier just because Sandor took one of his toys. Her older sister, who was the only person that showed kindness to him, was killed by Gregor as she tried to defend Sandor

As his memories progressed she saw that Sansa told her the truth; he protected her valiantly in many occasions, and was the only person who showed kindness to her when she was prisoner of the Lannisters

After she watched all his memories, she sat on his bed and watched him sleep for a few minutes, thinking how sad it was that all that drove him was the hate for his brother. He was left without any purpose in life now that the mountain was dead

The monks had tried to help him, but he left the monastery for he didn't want to put them at risk. He had many enemies and was a wanted man.

The guards came and woke him up abruptly.

"Wake up, dog" one of them said "The queen is about to pronounce sentence"

"Finally" he said, sarcasm evident on his voice


	4. Punishment

"I can't condemn you for just being in the Lannister's service"

Angry murmurs filled the court for the hound wasn't exactly a likeable character, even if his image was based only on his reputation, antisocial behaviour or just by association with his brother.

Sandor paid no attention to them, his face a mask of emotionless

"However" the queen added "There is still the matter of the innocent boy Killed in winterfell for a whim of Joffrey Baratheon…it's true that all you did was carry the orders of the king and for that the punishment will not be as severe as it should"

Deep inside the queen knew they were committing an injustice to him, as he acted like any other soldier would in the service of their king, but she also aware that the hound could not be set free without a punishment, innocent or not. The people had gathered in the trial expecting justice and "Justice" had to be served for the welfare of the kingdom. This needed to be done to put an end to an ugly page in the history of Westeros.

There was also the matter of confession, and the hound had not admitted of killing the boy

"So far you refuse to defend yourself; I can only assume that you are guilty of that crime"

Arya expected to see some reaction for his part, but there was nothing. He kept staring ahead with an empty look

"The punishment will be 30 lashes, which will be carried now" People cheered in joy and the queen couldn't help but feel disgusted at them and also at herself"

She added

"If you want to confess and admit your crime, this is the moment. Your admission will reduce the number of lashes to 5"

She really hoped he would, it would help take away some the bad taste she felt for all this. She was even beginning to doubt that this man actually killed the boy.

When the hound refused to talk, the queen sighed frustrated. "So be it"

A general gasp was heard as two guards came and stripped him off his shirt; his body was a living testimony of pain, as it was covered with scars. Some were the result of combat but others were clearly caused by torture; it was obvious that this was not the first time he had suffered flagellation and others types of abuse.

Arya wondered how many of those wounds were actually inflicted by his own brother, as many of them seemed to be very old.

The guards hesitated for a moment, but then bound him to a pillar, exposing his back.

Most people cheered when the punishment began; they expected the hound was going to cry in pain and beg for the punishment to end or to confess his crimes, but he had other things in mind. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth as he received lash after lash.

The cheering faded slowly as the man gave no sign of surrendering or crying out for mercy. Not once did his lips utter a cry of pain.

Others who had been submitted to a similar punishment had finally broken down and confessed at the eleventh twelfth lash but Sandor refused to give in. Soon many people had to turn away as his back turned into a bloody mess.

When the 30th lash was delivered, the guards cut him loose and he fell to the floor.

Sandor laid on the floor, feeling nothing but the pain in his back, but then was surprised as he felt as if someone was caressing the back of his head.

For a moment confusion filled his eyes as he gazed up but saw no one there.

"I must be imagining things"

The queen told her guards to help him up and take him to the infirmary, but was surprised when Sandor pushed the guard's hand and stood up on his own with great difficulty.

He walked slowly towards the throne and bowed his head

"May I go, your grace?"


	5. traveling

He refused the queen's offer for him to stay at the royal infirmary for his wounds to be tended.

"I can manage on my own, your grace" were his final words as he bowed and left the court. He wanted no favours from them.

His back hurt like hell as he put on his clothes and exited, the first thing on his mind was to find a place to stay and buy things he needed to tend to his wounds.

"That was impressive"

He turned with a frown on his face as he recognized the voice.

"Thought you were at Casterly Rock?" he asked

The last time he had seen Tyrion Lannister was during the battle of battle of the blackwater seven years ago.

Arya, who had followed Sandor outside the palace, listened to their conversation with interest. She remembered Tyrion was the one Lannister that supported Daenerys when she returned to Westeros. The queen had offered him to rule as lord of Casterly Rock, but strangely he had refused and asked the queen to give the position to his brother Jaime, who had been pardoned.

Apparently Tyrion had a job proposition and Sandor, who had no other plans, was willing to listen.

"I am a merchant now" he explained "And business is going well"

For a moment he stared back at the palace and added with a smirk

"Peace and stability are good for making money and the new queen is doing a great job"

Sandor smirked at him

"If you say so"

Tyrion wasted no more time

"Here is my proposal; I need someone like you to be in charge for the security of my caravans"

Sandor thought about it

"What of him?" he asked as he looked past Tyrion to where Bronn stood

"He is my bodyguard and is in charge only of my personal safety….I will pay you well if you accept"

They talked for about 15 minutes on the details. Sandor was at first a bit reluctant to accept, but finally agreed to work for him, thinking on the irony that he was once again working for a Lannister. At least he was on a job that suited him.

"For the moment, let's take you to a doctor" Tyrion said.

A Week later they left King's landing once Tyrion finished his pending business. Arya was pleasantly surprised when she found out that the journey would eventually take them to Winterfell but first they would go to the Eyre and the Riverlands

Sandor, who normally rode ahead of the caravan, would cast quick glances around him as he often felt he was being watched.

One Night, as they rested on a small town, Arya decided to see Gendry and her brothers. She barely contained her laughter at Gendry's expression when she appeared next to him.

"By the gods, Arya, You will be the death of me"

She told them all that has happened; Her visit to Jon at the wall, finding out Mycah was alive, the trial and punishment of Sandor and his painful memories.

"Do you plan to talk to him?" bram asked at one point

"I am not sure" she answered

Hours passed and when she was about to leave, they made her promise that she would visit more often

Her brother's question was on her mind as she considered if she should reveal her presence to Sandor or Tyrion. Sandor probably wouldn't recognize her as it had been years since the last time he had seen her, when she left him under that tree.

She made her decision when she appeared in a darkened room and found him completely drunk.

Sandor almost dropped the bottle when he heard a woman's voice behind him

"That is a disgusting habit"


	6. Imagination?

Sandor didn't know what surprised him more. The fact that someone could sneak on him like that or that the girl didn't seem intimidated at all by his presence. His rough appearance and the burnt face usually had that effect on people, but the girl just stood there with the hands on her hips and a expression of disappointment and concern.

"How did you get in, girl?" he asked with his raspy voice

"Don't change the subject" she answered "Getting drunk never helps anyone"

"That voice" he thought, he knew he had heard that voice before. Her face was also strangely familiar.

Arya knew he recognized her when his eyes widened. He looked at the bottle and then back at her.

"Great" he said "Now I am seeing things"

He turned from her and put the bottle on a small table, then went to his bed to lay there.

"I am real, sandor"

"Go away, you are just a fragment of my imagination"

He turned his back on her but she immediately appeared standing on the other side of the bed.

"You do know who I am, do you?…you used to call me the little wolf-bitch"

Sandor grunted and closed his eyes, wishing for her leave him alone, but when he opened his eyes she was still there with a bemused smile on her face.

"I may be drunk, but I know you are not real….I heard she died when I was in winterfell 3 months ago. They even accused me to having something to do with her death"

For a moment he seemed to reflect on his words

"Why am I talking to myself?"

He closed his eyes again as tiredness was finally gaining on him and soon he was snoring loudly.

"Great" Arya thought

Sandor woke up with a terrible headache; he barely remembered the last night's strange encounter with his own imagination.

He rose from his bed and poured some water on his face.

"Sleep well?"

Sandor froze, he knew he wasn't drunk and yet he heard the voice very clearly.

He turned and saw the smiling face of the Stark Girl. Now that he was sober, he noticed how changed she was from the last time he had seen her. No longer a child but a young woman, perhaps 17 or 18 years old; she was tall for a woman, taller even than most men he knew. Her dark brown hair was also longer than what he remembered.

"Am I going mad?" he wondered and decided that the best course of action would be to ignore her. He reasoned that perhaps his "vivid imagination would just go away. Unfortunately his "imagination" was persistent.

"I know you can see me" Arya said when it was obvious he was ignoring her "And I am not going anywhere"

Sandor left the room followed closely by her. He found Tyrion and Bronn already having breakfast.

He sat with them and tried to eat his breakfast at peace, but it was hard to do so as Arya sat on an empty chair next to him, refusing to be ignored.

"Something wrong?" Tyrion asked when he noticed the uneasiness in his face.

"Nothing" he replied "Just a bad night"

Arya smirked at him and then reached out to touch his hand

"I know you can feel my hand, Sandor….the sooner you acknowledge my presence the better for all of us"

he tried as best as he could to ignore her during breakfast, but his efforts only seemed to amuse her.


End file.
